After entering the safe zone of the military base—
"Excuse me, do you need servants? We can do anything."
A few female survivors stepped forward and asked Aisha timidly.
After being rescued during the zombie outbreak, they had come to understand reality.
Without power, they could only depend on others.
Most of the other survivors outside were barely keeping themselves alive—no one cared whether these women lived or died.
But the Descendants here were different.
They couldn't die. Even if they did, they could respawn—just like players in a game.
They didn't need to eat or drink.
Each one of them possessed the strength to slaughter hordes of zombies with ease.
If they could get one of these Descendants to take care of them, their lives would be much easier.
Naturally, they knew they would have to offer something in return.
"No need. Please step aside."
Aisha refused calmly, taking Kiana Kaslana's hand as they walked past the survivors.
They found someone to open a rest room for them.
Once inside, they closed the door.
"Hehe, Aisha, you actually refused them? I thought you'd accept."
Kiana Kaslana teased with a mischievous smile.
"Why would I?" Aisha gave her a sideways glance.
"Wouldn't it be nice to have a few servants? Being waited on sounds comfortable." Kiana grinned.
"I don't need that." Aisha looked at her. "You're the one who wants to collect servants, aren't you?"
"I totally don't have that kind of idea."
Just then, there came a knock at the door.
"Aisha-sis, someone's knocking," Kiana said, climbing off the bed.
Aisha replied, "Go open it."
Kiana opened the door and saw a gray-haired, green-eyed woman standing there. "What's up?"
"Hello, I'm Iron Maiden, captain of the Third Honkai Squad."
"I know you."
Iron Maiden—the Holy Roman Empire's chosen one Kiana had selected back in the Hell Girl world.
"I'm glad you know me."
"You wicked woman."
"Uh…"
Iron Maiden's mouth twitched several times. This brat was so rude!
Even if she was a 'wicked woman,' did she really have to say it to her face?
So irritating!
Just wait.
Once we meet again in the real world—
I'll make sure to test your strength myself!
She smiled and said, "I'd like to invite you to join us—to help Lady Bronya conquer this world."
As Iron Maiden spoke, she carefully observed the white-haired girl before her.
"Sorry, not interested." Kiana refused decisively.
"Don't reject so quickly. Think about it," Iron Maiden tried to persuade her. "I already have a nation's territory. I can share the lands we capture in this world with you."
Before, she had believed the larger the territory, the greater the power—and the stronger the might.
But now she understood: the larger the territory, the greater the burden; the more land, the harder to manage.
After becoming a pseudo-Herrscher, she realized how insignificant human strength truly was. Countries, armies—they could all be wiped out with a wave of her hand.
Compared to useless foreign lands, Iron Maiden now sought the chance to become a true Herrscher.
And if she could become an angel's chosen like Zofia—that would be even better.
So, she had to perform well in this world.
"Aisha-sis, are you going to join them?"
Kiana Kaslana understood Iron Maiden's intentions.
She planned to unite most of the Honkai squads to control the military forces of the world's strongest nation.
Then, she would use that nation's nuclear arsenal to strike and dominate others—ultimately achieving global control.
Bronya wanted to conquer the world peacefully.
Iron Maiden wanted to control the strongest nation and ignite a global nuclear war.
Admittedly, it was an efficient way to take over the world.
Kiana had thought about it.
Humans were uncontrollable factors. By reducing these uncontrollable variables in large numbers, world conquest could proceed with greater stability.
But she hadn't done it—because she had entrusted this world's conquest to Bronya and Sirin.
She believed in the capabilities of her two daughters.
The zombie crisis had broken out—a bit unexpected.
But it wasn't a big problem.
Whether it succeeded or failed, she didn't really care.
"I'll think about it."
Seeing that her only teammate showed no interest in Iron Maiden's grand plan, Aisha simply said she would consider it.
Iron Maiden smiled faintly. "Alright, if you two come to a decision, you can find me anytime." With that, she turned and left.
After walking a while, Iron Maiden stopped and looked back at the door that had just been closed.
For some reason, the white-haired girl gave her a strangely familiar feeling.
When she came to this world, she had used divine power to create her current body.
Her appearance and voice could be disguised or changed.
For a moment, she couldn't tell who that girl was.
Since she couldn't figure it out, she decided not to dwell on it.
Iron Maiden returned to her room, logged out of Honkai Fantasy, and her body dissolved into a pile of silver sand.
...
Holy Empire.
Palace.
Iron Maiden rose from the open game pod. She wasn't a student of Academy City, so she had plenty of time to enter the "Honkai Fantasy: Highschool of the Dead" world.
In that world, she still had a nation to manage.
"Lady Kiana."
Iron Maiden threw herself onto the bed, hugging a life-sized Kiana doll and rolling back and forth with it.
The walls of her room were covered in posters of Kiana Kaslana. Even many of the furnishings and decorations had her image on them.
Ever since becoming a pseudo-Herrscher under Kiana Kaslana—
Iron Maiden hadn't been able to forget her.
Kiana Kaslana couldn't understand how this wicked woman had turned out like this.
It was her first time encountering someone who went from an enemy to a fanatical admirer so abruptly.
Zofia's devotion to Sirin came from being saved by her in a moment of despair.
But Kiana Kaslana didn't remember ever doing anything special for Iron Maiden.
By day, Iron Maiden worked; by night, she entered Honkai Fantasy, rallying Honkai squads and preparing to strike the strongest nation in that world.
The previously scattered Honkai squads around the world had, for the most part, joined her plan.
In a sense, Iron Maiden's plan was also Bronya's plan.
Even if the control plan failed, they still had a backup plan.